Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils



R. SEEGER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBON OILS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15. 1917.

1,394, Patented Oct. 25, ml

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0/%%% WW M R. SEEGER. APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBON OILS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-15,1917- Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

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S S E m H V I .4 TTORNE I 'I UNETEQ STATES parent carton.

ROBERT SEEGER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO NEW PROCESS OILCOMPANY, A GQRPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

AFPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBON OILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 25, 11921..

Application filed September 15, 1917. Serial No. 191,536.

To all'wkom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SEEGER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, UnitedStates of America, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus forTreating Hydrocarbon Oils, of which the following is such a full, clear,and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to whichit'appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus for treating petroleum or otherheavy hydrocar;

bone to produce lighter hydrocarbons therefrom and particularly to animproved form of cracking retort for such apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1 is a View, partly. in section and partly inelevation, of a furnace showing the arrangement of cracking retortstherein. Fig. 2 is a sectional and diagrammatical view illustrating acracking retort and associated apparatus, and Fig. 3 is a transversecross section of the retort of Fig. 2.

The furnace is provided with one or more heating chambers 1, which maybe heated. in any suitable manner such asby means of within the casingsand connected to form a continuous conduit through which is forced thematerial to be cracked, which will hereafter be referred to forconvenience as oil. In the form illustrated the casing also containstubes 9 connected to form a continuous conduit into which water isforced by means of a suitable pump (not shown). The end of the waterconduit is open in the casing and preferably the final tube is alsoper-' forated. The interior of the casing is connected by means of pipe10 with a steam drum or reservoir 11, exit of steam from the casing todrum 11 being controlled by valve 12. In Fig. 2, 24 and 25, representthe front and rear walls respectively of the furnace.

The cracking coil or conduit formed by the pipes 8 is supplied with oilfrom pipe 13 controlled by the valve 14 and with steam by the pipe 15controlled by valve 16. The pipe 15 is connected to the steam drum 11and such quantity of steam as may be required in excess of thatfurnished to drum 11 through the pipe 10 is supplied to the drum from anauxiliary steam boiler (not shown) by means of the pipe 17. Vaporissuing from the cracking coil is conducted through pipe 18 to the vaporchamber 19 which contains the coil or pipe 20 through which the oil tobe treated passes to pipe 13. The hot vapor from theretorts thus servesto preheat, in the chamber 19, the supply of oil to be cracked and it isthen conducted to suitable condensers. Pyrometers 21 and 22 serve toindicate the temperature within the retort 5 and within the crackingtubes 8 respectively. The supply tubes of the coils 8 and 9 pass throughthe closure 7 and detach ment of this closure makes it possible towithdraw the coils for repair or replacement without disturbing thecasing or the furnace wall.

Each of the retorts 5 in the furnace may be connected to the singlesteam drum 11 and each retort is constructed as that shown in Fig. 2 andsupplied with the water and with oil mixed wlth steam in a similarmanner.

In the operation of the apparatus the heat of the furnace applied toeach retort 5 converts the water supplied through pipes9 intosuper-heated steam which in turn heats the cracking tubes 8. Preheatedoil mixed with steam is introduced into the cracking tubes and thepressure in these tubes is main tained relatively high, preferably from5 to 10 atmospheres, according to the material to be cracked. Thispressure is controlled by the oil supply pump and the exit valve 23. Thepressure of the steam in the retort is preferably maintained at a pointapproximating the pressure in the cracking tubes. This arrangementrelieves the walls of the tubes from bursting pressure and makes. itpossible to use much lighter and less ex pensive tubing. Moreover, thearrangement described tends to maintain a more uniform degree of heatthroughout all parts of the rect heat of the furnace.

with nitrogen or other gas and seal them,

thus dispensing with the water tubes 9. When gas is employed only asuflicient quantity will be used to produce the desired pressure at thehighest temperature to which it will be subjected. As anothermodification, a metal or alloy having a low melting point may beemployed in the casings and steam I or gas introduced only to sufficientextent and for the purpose ofmaintaining an exterior pressure on thecracking coils.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is;

1. In apparatus oLthe class described, a cracking retort comprising acasing and cracking tubes within the casing, but not communicating withthe interior thereof,

means for maintaining the contents of the 1 tubes under pressure, andmeans for keeping the casing filled with liquid or gas under a pressureapproximately equal to the pressure within the cracking tubes.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the

combination of a casing,-a removable closure therefor, a cracking coilwithin the casing, supply and discharge tubes for the crackingcollpassing through the removable closure, and water supply and steamdischargeconduits communicating with the interior of 'the casing andalso passing through there movable closure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto setmy hand and affixed my seal.

ROBERT SEEGERI 1,. 8.

